Easier Ride on Way for Commuters

Carpooling commuters will enjoy a smoother ride between Moreno Valley and Los Angeles County when transportation officials complete a series of carpool lanes and bridges on the 60 Freeway.

A $317-million Caltrans project, to be completed late next year, will add carpool lanes to the 60 Freeway between Interstate 215 and the 91 Freeway.

Work is also scheduled to begin in early 2008 on two elevated carpool lanes, called bridges, on the 60 Freeway at the junction with the I-215 that will connect the new carpool lanes to existing ones east of the interchange.

Traffic bottlenecks occur daily on the 60 Freeway near the I-215, where carpool lanes end. The Riverside County Transportation Commission, hoping to ease the jams, voted unanimously last month to design two carpool bridges, that will close the 1.5-mile gap between existing carpool lanes and those to be built by Caltrans.

“I get so many complaints about that interchange that we knew we needed to do something,” said Frank West, a member of the transportation commission and a Moreno Valley City Council member.

“I know my constituents are going to be very, very happy when it’s done.”

West, who took the 60 Freeway to Temecula every day as a probation officer, said about 80% of his city’s workforce commutes to work, with most of them taking the 60 Freeway to get out of town.

“We’re somewhat of a bedroom community,” he said.

The two bridges will be funded through federal grants and Measure A, Riverside County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation projects. Caltrans is relying on local, state and federal funds to add carpool lanes to the 60 Freeway and make other improvements to the junction of the 60, 91 and 215 freeways.

John Standiford, a spokesman for the county’s transportation commission, said the bridges are expected to be completed in mid-2009. Along with the bridges, the county is working with the federal and state government to build more carpool lanes on the 60 Freeway through the city of Riverside.

“This is going to be a huge improvement in traffic,” Standiford said. “It’s going to help commuters throughout the entire region.”